The market for wireless high-definition TV is starting to emerge with fewer than 100,000 devices expected to ship this year. According to a new study from ABI Research, optimistic forecasts point to 2012 as the earliest year for the milestone of one million wireless HDTV installations worldwide.
Until that time, however, a "battle of technologies" is being fought between proponents of 5 GHz, 60 GHz and ultra wideband (UWB) based systems to deliver HDTV signals over the air.
"5 GHz technology is better understood and more proven," says Principal Analyst Steve Wilson, "but achieving the required data rates requires new approaches and more complex solutions. UWB technology has bandwidth advantages at in-room distances but drops rapidly at greater ranges. 60 GHz allows high data rates, but so far only one company is even close to a viable solution. Over the next two to three years, we're going to see one or two of these wireless HDTV approaches emerge as the primary ones."
All the wireless HDTV silicon vendors are venture-backed startups and most established wireless vendors are waiting to see how the market evolves, ABI reports. Product manufacturers are moving forward with different strategies: some, like Westinghouse and Belkin are initially targeting commercial and custom installers where there is clear value-add. In contrast, some TV manufacturers such as Sharp and Hitachi are targeting buyers of their latest technology, offering design-oriented, elegant products that come with a wireless connectivity option.
ABI's Wireless Video Cable Replacement Market and Technologies provides an in-depth analysis of these competing technologies and companies as well as an outlook for the adoption of these devices in the marketplace. For information or to obtain a copy of the report, visit www.abiresearch.com.
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